Comatose
by SaturnineSunshine
Summary: Trippy aftermath of a Chuck and Blair blowout. "This was the moment that I realized no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, or no matter how much time had passed, I would never be able to stop loving you. I wouldn't be able to stop myself."


A/N: So this was majorly inspired by Buffy (but I didn't have any quotes, so I'm getting better) so if it seems sort of trippy and magic-esque, sorry, you're just going ot hav eto deal with it. This might seem like "This would never happen!" but I like it. SO whatevs.

Summary: "This was the moment that I realized no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, or no matter how much time had passed, I would never be able to stop loving you. I wouldn't be able to stop myself."

Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Obvs.

* * *

The elevator chimed and Chuck's eyes opened as he stepped through the familiar foyer of the Waldorf Penthouse. He squinted at the pictures that lined the walls. The decorations were different. There wasn't the graduation picture with her and her mother on the table like he remembered. He stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.

"Hi, Chuck."

Chuck turned and saw her. The little girl sat on the floor, her legs folded primly underneath her. She straightened the pretty little bow on the top of her six year old head. He exhaled in relief. He missed those brown eyes looking upon him with adoration like they used to. Without venom or tears. Like none of it had ever happened.

"Hi, Blair," he replied, sitting on the couch before her. He shrugged out of his jacket, laying it over the back of the couch. Blair's eyes stared unblinkingly up at him. Her little mouth quirked in a smile that reminded him of dark manipulations and laughter.

"I like your bow tie," she said. "It's pretty."

He looked down, remembering which one he was wearing. It was the purple one she had bought for him. Or at least that was what he remembered. The Blair that wasn't the young elementary school girl he was looking at right now.

"Thank you," he said, finding it strange even when she complimented him in this form that it would affect him this way.

"What are you doing here?" she asked innocently.

"I was looking for you, actually," Chuck replied, finding that was actually true, unable to stop from being charmed by the little girl before him. Like he always had been, even when he didn't realize it.

Blair cocked her head to the side as though in confusion.

"I guess it's too much to ask that you were waiting for me," Chuck said bitterly. He looked back at her to see perfect clarity reflected in her eyes.

"I've been waiting," she said simply.

"Blair," Chuck said after a moment, leaning forward on the couch. "Why are _you_ here?"

Blair shrugged. "I like it here." She looked back up to his face. "Don't you like it here?"

"I did," Chuck said admittedly.

"Do I disappoint you?" she asked.

"Never," he promised, unsure of why it came out with such fervor. "But you can't stay in here, Blair. You have to come out."

"Why?" she asked. She was so full of innocence that now she could only manipulate.

"Because your friends miss you," Chuck said. "They need you. I need you."

"Why?"

She was blinking at him slowly.

"You don't want me here, do you?" he smirked.

"I like that you're here," she shrugged nonchalantly. He sat for a moment, finding it strange that a six year old just gave him the impression that she was brushing him off. But then again, she was Blair Waldorf, no matter what age.

"Blair," Chuck said slowly. "Where are your parents?"

Her eyebrows scrunched and he felt his heart break before she said it.

"They're not here."

"They're not," Chuck stated.

"You're the only ones who's here, Chuck," Blair said as though she were reminding him. "Don't you remember? You're always the only one who's here."

Chuck narrowed his eyes, looking around the house. But now that he looked, the pictures only had Blair.

"Where's Dorota?" Chuck asked. "She's usually here with you."

"Not since she and Vanya got married," Blair shook her head.

"Where's Serena?" Chuck asked.

"Where is Serena?" Blair asked and Chuck knew he wasn't even sure anymore. "It's a big day today."

Chuck looked at the convenient calendar on the wall.

"It's your birthday," Chuck murmured.

"When are you leaving?" Blair asked bluntly.

"So you do want me to leave," Chuck said. Blair looked away.

"Everyone leaves sometime."

_"Are you sure it's worth the risk?"_

Chuck blinked in confusion, looking around Southeby's. There Blair stood in clothing he had seen before in front of Serena.

_"I don't know, you tell me," Serena replied. __"You and Chuck are two of the most self centered, damaged people I know."_

_"I'm not following," Blair said hastily._

_"Well, somehow two wrongs make a twisted right. You don't think it was worth the risk?"_

Before Chuck could blink again, he was back in the Waldorf Penthouse.

"Hi, Chuck."

Chuck looked and there she was again. No longer was the 18 year old beauty who distracted him with sex that he could never resist but the sweet little girl that he used to know.

"Blair," Chuck said.

"What are you doing here?" Blair asked.

"Blair," Chuck said. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What are we doing here?"

"Don't you like it here?" Blair asked.

"I would like it better if you were with me."

"But I'm already here," Blair shook her head.

"You know what I mean," Chuck said. "Don't you Blair? Get out of this place. Come back with me."

"It's a big day today," Blair murmured.

"I know," Chuck sighed. "I know."

He took a seat by her on the floor.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing," Chuck replied, stroking her soft hair adoringly. Like always. "I'm just here."

Blair nodded, smoothing the invisible wrinkles on her pristine dress.

He looked up but saw something that didn't make sense. Right where the foyer was supposed to be was Blair's room. He watched a teenage Blair with a white blouse and her hair pulled cry at her vanity. He looked back at the little girl by his side before raising his eye line again.

"Blair," Chuck said, rising to his feet slowly. He crept towards Blair's room, leaving the small child behind. He pushed open the door to reveal the weeping teenager. She put her manicured hand to her throat as her body wracked with sobs.

He looked behind him. The 6 year old girl was gone and all he could see was the hallway behind him. He proceeded into the room and approached her slowly.

"Blair," he said again. She continued to cry.

"She can't hear you."

Chuck's head snapped over and he saw Blair leaning against the door frame. He looked back at Blair crying in front of her mirror before looking back at her in the doorway.

"What?" he asked.

"She won't listen," Blair sighed, walking towards him. She looked towards the girl in front of the mirror. "She won't listen to that."

"Listen to what?" Chuck asked in confusion. "What is this?"

"It happened," Blair said. "When you came back."

"What happened?"

"This was the moment I realized there was no going back."

"Going back from what?" Chuck asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer.

"This was the moment that I realized no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, or no matter how much time had passed, I would never be able to stop loving you. I wouldn't be able to stop myself."

"Things have changed, I guess," Chuck said, looking away, not able to watch Blair cry herself hoarse anymore.

"What are you doing here, Chuck?" Blair asked. "This is my mind. What are you doing here?"

"I want you to come home with me."

"That's not how it works," Blair said. "I know what this is. But you're here for you."

"And what are you doing here, Blair?" Chuck asked. "What are you still doing here?"

"Don't, Chuck," she warned him.

"What's the problem?" he asked, knowing her too well. "Why haven't you come out of this yet?"

"What's the point?" Blair asked.

"What are you saying?" Chuck asked.

"I told you before," Blair said. "I like it here."

"You're alone," Chuck said.

"I'd be alone even if I woke up," Blair replied.

"Is that what you think?" Chuck asked.

"You're gone," Blair said. "There's no one else."

"I'm not going to convince you otherwise."

"What?" Blair snapped. Instead of waiting for an answer she whirled around and walked out of her room. Chuck followed quickly in pursuit. As he always had.

"Even that six year old version of you knew it," Chuck said. "Because no one knows you. Not like I do."

"Exactly," Blair said. "Don't you see? That's the point. I left you and now there's no one else."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Chuck said. "You can come home with me."

"After everything that's happened," Blair said. "I'd rather be here."

"You'd rather be in a loop of your memories and insecurities?" Chuck asked. "Or would you rather be in the real world with me?"

"But I wouldn't be with you."

"Why not?" he asked. "Why can't we? You said so yourself. There's no way we're walking away from each other."

"That's my problem," Blair said. "But you're not the only one who's messed up."

"Come back with me," Chuck urged.

"What would be the point?" Blair asked desperately. "We'll end up this way again."

"I won't let you hurt yourself like this again," Chuck promised. "I won't let it happen again."

"That's not your decision to make."

"It's not yours either. You can wake up now," Chuck said. "You can come back with me. All we can do is try again. Come back with me."

He held out his hand as she scrutinized it.

"Chuck," she whispered. "You need to wake up."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"You have to wake up," Blair said clearly and he realized how familiar her slip was.

_"Sir?"_

Chuck's eyes snapped open to see an orderly shaking him awake.

"Sir, you have to wake up."

Chuck blinked his blurry vision as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up at the orderly.

"Visiting hours are over."

Chuck narrowed his eyes, taking in the surroundings of the hospital room.

"It's alright. He can stay."

Chuck froze at the familiar voice, crackling with unuse. The orderly stepped out of the way and there she was. Blair was sitting up in the hospital bed. He tried to ignore how tear filled her eyes were.

"You're awake," was the only thing Chuck could think of to say. She didn't respond, but just kept looking at him intently.

"How long has it been?" Blair finally asked.

"Three months," Chuck answered. "It's August."

"I... didn't think this would happen," Blair said.

"Yes you did," Chuck said, trying to stop the ire from seeping into his voice. "You wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Stop it," Blair said, trying to look away.

"If it's what you want."

But he would never be able to pull away from her. It was after midnight in the hospital and she was all alone. She was right. She was alone. But he wasn't about to leave her. Even if she wanted him to. Which he was certain that she didn't. That was one thing he was sure of now when he wasn't when he had gone to sleep.

"Blair," Chuck said, clearing his throat. "You promised me you wouldn't do this anymore. You promised me you'd stopped."

"Yeah?" Blair snapped. "You promised me you loved me."

"I never stopped."

"Then what am I doing here?" Blair asked.

"You're in here under surveillance because you have a pension for expelling your food after every time you eat."

He watched her glower at him, not saying anything.

"You can't blame this one me," Chuck said quietly. "Please. I can't forgive myself as it is. Because you can't think that I don't already blame myself."

"I don't know what to think anymore," she whispered.

"That's not surprising considering you've been asleep for three months."

"What are you even doing here?" Blair asked heatedly.

"If you don't know the answer to that, then you're right," Chuck said, standing up. "I don't know what I'm doing here."

He was about to turn for the door before he stopped.

"You're not the only one, you know," Chuck said. "I realized it too. I was barely seventeen when I realized there was no coming back from loving you."

His hand was on the doorknob before she called him back.

"Chuck."

He turned.

She sniffed, wiping at her eyes.

"You're the only one that's here."

"Don't even do it to me again," he warned. "Don't ever just go to sleep one day just to not wake up. Don't you dare ever leave me like that again."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice hushed. "I didn't know what to do. I was just... so lost."

"You don't have to be."

"I walked away from us," Blair said. "And I walked home and I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what to do anymore. Now that you weren't in my life anymore. And I opened the refrigerator. And that's all I remember."

"It didn't have to be that way," Chuck said.

"I didn't know what else to do."

"Tell me when you find out," Chuck said with finality, unsure of what this meant for them.

"Chuck," she said, her voice broken. He turned to face her. "Will you sit with me for a while?"

Chuck walked tentatively towards her and sat at her bedside.

"Don't ever do that me again," Chuck said darkly.

"You came back for me," she said, that hint of a smile on her face again.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"I heard you," Blair said. "And I saw you. You came back for me."

He hesitantly put out a hand to stroke her hair. And she let him. Instead of sending him glowering looks and hateful, snide remarks, she leaned into his hand.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

"For as long as you need," Chuck said.

"What if I didn't want you to leave?" Blair asked.

"I would be alright with that," Chuck answered. Of its own volition, he found his fingers intertwined in her hair.

"I came back for you," she confessed.

"I know," he answered.

"So don't mess up."

"I don't think that's something that I can promise," Chuck said uncomfortably.

"Just promise you'll come back."

"Always."


End file.
